THIS TO-DO LIST STRATEGY WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE

I start off my week with the greatest of intentions. But life as usual gets really busy and my simple to-do list seems to only exists neatly inside my bullet journal, and never gets used correctly. I never manage to actually tackle all of my tasks. So to make sure I’m more productive I have tried a new, more effective technique to tackle that ever growing to-do list.

Let me introduce you to the 1-3-5 method — it’s a real life saver.

WHAT IS THE 1-3-5 METHOD YOU ASK?

So the way this technique works is pretty simple. You need to set yourself 9 tasks (yes, I’m serious only 9) and prioritise them according to the 1-3-5 rule. Number a single task as your main priority. This will be your largest, main priority task or daily goal. Then number three standard or less important tasks, followed by five smaller low-priority tasks — hence the 1-3-5 method.

This will undoubtedly help you prioritise your tasks and maximise your productivity.

START WITH YOUR MAIN PRIORITY 

Tackle that big task for the day first. Decide what’s taking up most of your time and what you really need to focus on. Once you’ve got your one big goal, leave space for points of action below it so you can break it up.

GET YOUR PRIORITIES IN ORDER

Jot down your three medium priority tasks next that you need to work on. These priorities can carry over multiple days if you don’t manage to get them done. If you struggle with this I suggest writing down your main goal, then moving on to your five small tasks and what are left become your medium-priority.

FILL IN YOUR FIVE SMALL TASKS

If you’re like me you can easily find five small tasks that don’t take much priority. These are the things you usually leave for the end of the day or let run over. I keep these on my daily to-do list and tick them off by the end of the day to make sure I know I’m always completing tasks and not just writing out endless lists.

By implementing this simple to-do list strategy, I’ve managed to get so much more done and my productivity level has gone up. No more falling behind because my tasks are getting muddled up. And no more unrealisitc targets. It’s as easy as 1-3-5!

Which to-do list strategy do you swear by? Let me know in the comments below…